Spokane church will build apartments as part of post-fire rebuilding

By Mary Stamp

After a fire destroyed Bethany Presbyterian Church's worship space in 2022, the congregation began to re-imagine their future.

For several years, Sharon Rodkey Smith, Brian Royer and the church's Re-Building Team guided listening sessions that led to a redevelopment project to bring much-needed housing and community space to their campus.

Now they anticipate breaking ground on their campus for a model of ministry with their 100-seat worship center and fellowship hall standing as a community center next to two three-story apartment buildings, which will offer housing for 22 low-income families.

Their mission is to "integrate an inspirational, flexible, adaptable church and housing community that demonstrates radical hospitality for our residents, immigrants, refugees and community."

This project aligns with their decision to be a "Matthew 25 church" that builds congregational vitality, dismantles structural racism and eradicates systemic poverty.

Early on, they challenged the city to rezone their property to allow for multiple dwellings.

Their effort challenged the city to realize that more areas needed to be rezoned to allow for multiple dwellings. The City Council changed resident zoning in December 2023.

To make their vision possible, they are partnering with Proclaim Liberty, a nonprofit created in 1971 by the Presbytery of the Inland Northwest, which will be the project sponsor. They also partner with Kiemle and Hagood, a real estate company with experience developing affordable housing.

By the end of 2024, the project secured $8.4 million in funds toward the $12.4 million they need. Committed funds include anticipated insurance from the fire and awards from the Spokane City HOME funds, Banner Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank Affordable Housing Program.

The land will be Bethany's, and the buildings will be owned by Proclaim Liberty. Bethany will pay $1 a year for a 100-year lease to use the building, said Sharon. In return, Proclaim Liberty will pay $1 a year for a 100-year lease to use the land.

In 2025, they expect to reach their funding goal so they can begin construction in spring 2026 and occupy the buildings in spring 2027.

Before the old building is torn down, the fire department has requested permission to use it to train firefighters, Sharon said.

Eight units will provide permanent housing for refugee families who graduate from Thrive International's program. Three units will be for graduates of Family Promise. The other 11 units, four of which will be ADA handicapped accessible, will be used for low-income families.

Sharon and Brian recently shared their journeys of faith that drew them into leadership for this project.

Sharon grew up in Spokane where her father was the principal of North Central High School. Her family attended St. Paul's United Methodist Church until they joined her mother at First Presbyterian, where she was a paid singer in the church's quartet.

In 1971, Sharon earned a degree in music education at Pacific Lutheran University where she met and married Dennis, another music education student. For six years, she taught music in Tacoma schools while Dennis was director of music at Little Church on the Prairie United Presbyterian.

In 1978, they moved to Omaha, Neb., where Dennis was director of music at the 2,800-member First United Methodist Church. She taught in public schools until 2006, when they moved back to Spokane so she could care for her aging parents.

Sharon and Dennis joined Bethany while her brother, Paul, was half-time campus minister at Eastern Washington University and half-time pastor at Bethany. He served 30 years until retiring in 2016 and entering the Peace Corps with his wife Kerri. Sharon and Dennis joined Bethany in 2007.

Brian grew up in Spokane, attending the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John until his family moved when he was eight to Tri-Cities, where they attended Episcopal churches. After high school, he attended the University of Washington in Seattle to study pre-med, until he was radicalized by the Vietnam War, became a hippie and joined a Skagit Valley commune in the 1970s.

He led a group of nonprofits challenging the Skagit Nuclear Power Plant, then promoted water rights for family farms with the Washington State Grange and joined another effort to halt nuclear power.

Brian, his first wife, her sister and brother-in-law moved to a farm in Curlew. They joined a fundamentalist community church. Once he met and married Sandi, she convinced him to go to a church where women did more than make meals and change diapers.

They moved to Republic, where they lived for 20 years, raised their children and attended First Presbyterian Church. Brian worked for four years as county assessor. Then he traveled from city to city promoting energy conservation and started a business doing community development and low-income housing.

His housing work brought him to Spokane in 1999 to work with Northwest Regional Facilitators. In 2000, Brian and Sandi joined Bethany Presbyterian.

After he retired in 2014, Sandi and Brian served with the Presbyterian Church (USA), a partner of the Guatemalan Presbyterian Church, working in ministry with women throughout Guatemala.

They returned to Spokane in 2019 and established a fair-trade business, Resilient Threads Guatemala—resilientthreadsguatemala.org—selling products made by Guatemalan women.

When Sharon, Dennis, Brian and Sandi joined the church early in the 2000s, it was at 4th and Freya. The church knew for 15 years that the Department of Transportation wanted the land for an off-ramp when the North-South freeway was completed.

In 2009, Bethany sold that building and land for $875,000. They worshiped at Good Shepherd Lutheran on South Ray St. while looking to relocate.

The Assembly of God church across from Good Shepherd wanted to sell their building, which was originally built as a community center. They agreed to sell for $700,000.

"The building was too big for us," Sharon said. "One floor of classrooms was not used. We talked with Mark Finney, then director of World Relief, about housing refugees there."

When COVID hit, that idea went on hold but had sparked the idea of using the building to house needy people.

On Epiphany Sunday in 2022, a fire destroyed much of the interior, making it unusable. They are still waiting for the insurance settlement.

Bethany began renting space at Knox Presbyterian in North Spokane. Bethany currently has a temporary pastor and is in the process of calling a new pastor to lead the congregation.

"We were an aging congregation with 40 members and no pastor, but we wanted to do a housing project that would include a sanctuary/community center," said Brian. "It took two years of listening sessions to convince the congregation. We know many Protestant churches were seeking new ways to do more than survive. We wanted to serve refugees, homeless and low-income families."

Sharon said Bethany's building was used for 12-step groups and childcare, so the building was always used to reaching out to others.

Because Brian had worked with faith-based nonprofits that created housing in dying churches, he had connections in the housing community to show the congregation their vision could happen.

Two years ago, Brian said, "God introduced me to Brian Grow of Proclaim Liberty, which was doing housing as part of the Presbytery."

Brian Grow introduced them to Shannon Meagher at Kiemle and Hagood, which partnered with Proclaim Liberty to build a childcare center and 51 apartments in the Liberty Park area.

Brian said the Presbytery has formed a Land-Use Committee to help churches decide what to do with excess land or if they close. Bethany is a pilot project.

"This project gives me a tangible way to plug into what my faith journey says needs to be done," said Sharon.

Brian noted that Bethany is a small church and shouldn't be able to do this.

"In faith, we are the little engine that could. God is guiding us and blessing us as we go forward," he said.

Once the buildings are built, Brian said the church will connect with residents in the apartments, organizing gatherings and potlucks to share hospitality and build community. He expects 12-step programs to return. Supporting agencies like Thrive and Family Promise will use classroom space for classes or counseling.

The redevelopment project is a tangible expression of the church's mission to "extend radical hospitality," said Micaela Kostecka, marketing director at Kiemle and Hagood. Along with providing affordable housing, it will offer the community resources for education, connection and well-being.

For information, call 220-1806 (535-6034 or 714-0656), email sharonrodkeysmith@yahoo.com or visit bethanyspokane.org.